NEWS & EVENTS

For starters, we are having a spring hike tomorrow, "Mapping the Battle of Bennington"Saturday April 15 at 1:00 PM. The group will meet at the main parking area off of NYS RT-67. As we walk the 1-mile Battle Loop Trail we will be looking at the landscape through a variety of historical and modern maps.

We will meet at Brown's Walloomsac Taproom Wednesday, April 26 at 6:00 PM for our Discussion Group to tackle Inventing Ethan Allen by Hermine Müller and John J. Duffy.

On Monday, May 1, at 1:00 PM we will mark our official opening day with a site-wide tour. A mix and driving and walking is required. Visitors will also receive complimentary information on driving tours relating to the battle. The tour will begin from the hilltop parking area.

As with last year, we plan to host an I Love My Park Day Saturday, May 6 at 10:00 AM. Join us in beautifying the battlefield! We will be working to weed, plant, mulch and water the planters that are located around the main hilltop. Small garden tools will be provided. Participants may bring their own
gardening gloves if they wish.

A Memorial Day Tour will be offered Monday, May 29 at 1:00 PM. The tour will begin from the hilltop parking area and include a visit to the only nearby marked grave of a Bennington veteran.

Eric Schnitzer will speak on the role of German soldiers in the Saratoga Campaign.

Matthew Zembo will dicuss drill and tactis in the British Army.

For the rest of the month, we will host a speakers series. The complete schedule is reproduced below and also available at the Friends of Bennington Battlefield Website. Come to any and all that interest you!

“Drill and Tactics of the British Army” Sunday, May 7, 1:oo PM: Bennington Battlefield, NYS RT-67, Hoosick, NY
Matthew Zembo, Assistant Professor of History at Hudson Valley Community College and 2013 UELAC Loyalist Scholarship Award Recipient, will discuss the tactics of the British during the American War of Independence. His presentation, grounded in research and reenacting experience, is sure to correct many popular misconceptions.

“’Hessians’ in the American Revolutionary War”Sunday, May 14, 1:00 PM: Barnett House, 30 Caretakers Rd. Hoosick Falls, NY 12090
Eric Schnitzer, Park Ranger at Saratoga National Historical Park, will provide an overview of the 37,000 German soldiers hired by the British from seven German nation states during the war. The program will briefly identify each state, address common myths associated with the German soldiers, and focus on the Germans who served under General Burgoyne in 1777.

“Reasons for Revolution”Saturday, May 20, 1:00 PM: Barnett House, 30 Caretakers Rd. Hoosick Falls, NY 12090
Paul Andriscin, Associate Professor of US History at the College of St. Joseph and Site Interpreter at Mt. Independence will deliver a program on the causes of the American Revolution. The presentation aims to give nuance to events that are generally glossed over.

“The Bennington Battle Monument: Why Vermont?”Sunday, May 21, 1:00 PM: Bennington Battlefield, NYS RT-67, Hoosick, NY
Marylou Chicote, Site Administrator of the Bennington Battle Monument, will chart the series of events and prominent figures that determined the placement of the iconic structure commemorating the Battle of Bennington, fought in Walloomsac, New York.

“Samuel Ely – From Court Martial at the Battle of Bennington to Central Role in the First Armed Rebellion Against the United States of America – the June 1782 ‘Ely’s Insurrection’”Saturday, May 27, 1:00 PM: Bennington Battlefield, NYS RT 67, Hoosick, NY
Philip Kantor, historian, author and member of the Conway Historical Society will speak on a larger than life figure. Samuel Ely was a Yale graduate, ordained Minister, Battle of Bennington veteran, and namesake of the first domestic armed rebellion against the United States – when thousands gathered in June and July 1782 to break Ely out of jail and engage units of the Continental Army in open conflict. Come and hear about this fascinating man, and why Gen. George Washington was told he was the “most infamous man in America.”

“The Battle of Hubbardton: The Rear Guard Action that Saved the Northern Army”Sunday, May 28, 1:00 PM: Bennington Battlefield, NYS RT 67, Hoosick, NY
Stark wrote of his victory at Bennington, “I think we have returned the enemy a proper compliment in the above action, for the Hubbart-Town engagement.” Bruce Venter, historian, author and President of America’s History, LLC has researched the Battle of Hubbardton extensively and “wrote the book” on the subject. His lecture will spotlight this pivotal event in the Saratoga Campaign and our national history.